One of the most important branches in philosophy, is Epistemology, which means, theory of knowledge. So far, philosophers have made many attempts to discover the source of knowledge, the standards or criteria by which we can judge the reliability of knowledge. We tend to be satisfied with think what we know about almost everything, even though sometimes we are shocked to discover that something that we thought it was sure and certain, is instead proved dubious and not sure. For example, suppose that one person that you know and trust tells you that the moon landing in 1969 is only a lie, and the pictures and film were made in a laboratory. We might distrust our friend maybe or think that in fact there were no prove of this, or even distrust yourself. Off course you will start to search information regarding that specific fact, and start looking for an evidence that will lead you to the truth. That’s why I think that the most fertile source of knowledge is the history of human opinions. Knowledge, in fact, is the relationship between a person and the world. While most philosopher agree with this basic definition, most all of them disagree about the fundamental nature of that relationship. There are many cases that prove that people have attempted to impose their believes on others, being in the end punished because thought to be crazy. One of those is Galileo Galilei, he was sure in fact that the sun was not revolving around earth, but instead the earth revolves around the sun. Also the early Greek philosopher Anaxagoras was exiled from Athens because he was saying the moon was a rock. There have been many martyrs that have been punished only because they challenged the infallible wisdom of the rulers in their society. Philosopher are concerned in determine the basis of all knowledge, and agree upon standards in judging these claims. Two famous philosophers argued about this theory, John...

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...Philosophy Essay (Descartes vs. Locke)
Socrates once said, “As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.” Several philosophers contradicted Socrates’ outlook and believed that true knowledge was in fact attainable. This epistemological view however had several stances to it, as philosophers held different beliefs in regards to the derivation of true knowledge. Rationalists believed that the mind was the source of true knowledge, while in Empiricism, true knowledge derived from the senses. Rene Descartes, a rationalist, and John Locke, an empiricist, were prime examples of epistemologists who were seen to differentiate greatly within each of their philosophies. However, although Descartes and Locke’s ideas did contrast in that sense, they both shared common concepts that helped mould the basis of their ideas.
Descartes and Locke both agreed that there were things in life that exist that we can be certain of. For Descartes, human experiences did not provide sufficient proof of existence. He indicated that through his Dream Conjecture and his Evil-Demon Theory (Paquette 205). Descartes stated that we cannot be certain if reality is a dream or not, thus questioning our existence (Paquette 205). In his Evil-Demon Theory, Descartes claimed that for all he knew, an evil demon could be putting thoughts into his head, making him think...

...experience, observation, and sensory perception.
René Descartes and John Locke, both seventeenth century philosophers, are often seen as two of the first early modern philosophers. Both Descartes and Locke attempt to find answers to the same questions in metaphysics and epistemology; among these: What is knowledge? Is there certainty in knowledge? What roles do the mind and body play in the acquisition of knowledge?Descartes and Locke do not provide the same answers to these questions. In this paper the similarities and differences between the philosophies of Descartes and Locke will be addressed.
Locke's notion of the idea is one example of a term borrowed from Descartes. For Locke, an idea is that which ``the mind perceives in itself, or is the immediate object of perception, thought, or understanding'' (Locke, 48). This seems to be exactly Descartes' definition of idea: ``whatever is immediately perceived by the mind'' (Descartes, 132). Locke then goes on to consider the qualities (powers to produce ideas) of external objects. He distinguishes between primary and secondary qualities; the latter are those which are not in the objects themselves but are perceived or sensed, while the former are those which cannot be separated from the object and belong to it at all times...

...2.1 Book I
At the beginning of An Essay Concerning Human Understanding Locke says that since his purpose is “to enquire into the Original, Certainty and Extant of human knowledge, together with the grounds and degrees of Belief, Opinion and Assent” he is going to begin with ideas — the materials out of which knowledge is constructed. His first task is to “enquire into the Original of these Ideas…and the ways whereby the Understanding comes to be furnished with them” (I. 1. 3. p. 44). The role of Book I of the Essay is to make the case that being innate is not a way in which the understanding is furnished with principles and ideas. Locke treats innateness as an empirical hypothesis and argues that there is no good evidence to support it.
Locke describes innate ideas as “some primary notions…Characters as it were stamped upon the Mind of Man, which the Soul receives in its very first Being; and brings into the world with it” (I. 2. 1. p. 48). In pursuing this enquiry, Locke rejects the claim that there are speculative innate principles (I. Chapter 2), practical innate moral principles (I. Chapter 3) or that we have innate ideas of God, identity or impossibility (I. Chapter 4). Locke rejects arguments from universal assent and attacks dispositional accounts of innate principles. Thus, in considering what would count as evidence from universal assent to such propositions as “What is, is” or “It is...

...Lock vs. Berkeley
Empiricism is the view that all knowledge comes from experience whatever is the mind got there through the senses. Locke was an empiricist who held that the mind was tabula rasa or a blank slate at birth to be written upon by sensory experience. Empiricism is opposed to rationalism or the view that mental ideas and knowledge exist in the mind prior to experience that there are abstract or innate ideas.
George Berkeley argued against rationalism and materialism. He also criticized Locke on many points. He said most philosophers make an assumption that has no proof of the existence of matter. Berkley questioned the inference that material things cause our sensory experience or that our sensory experience is material things. Berkeley originally wondered if we as humans actually experience an object as it really was, or was what we physically saw. The materialist feels that the information received through sense experience gives a representative picture of the outside world and one cannot penetrate to the true essence of an object... Although the idea is logical, it does contain certain grounding for agnosticism. John Locke claimed that primary qualities are those that exist within the body of an object and outside of our perception. He believed they are inseparable from body and his list consisted of motion, bulk, figure, number, and texture. Primary qualities are those qualities, which are present in the...

...When it comes to cognitive development, several theories have been put forth by many different philosophers, psychologists, and other scientists. The two most significant theories, which were first explored by the Greeks, were later debated between John Locke, and Rene Descartes. John Locke, a seventeenth-century English philosopher, argued against the belief that human beings are born with certain ideas already in their minds. He claimed that, on the contrary, the mind is a tabula rasa (in Latin, a "blank slate") until experience begins to "write" on it. He was quoted in saying: "the human mind begins as a white paper, void of all characters, without any ideas." (The Blank Slate, n.d.)
However, according to René Descartes, a seventeenth-century philosopher, physicist, physiologist, and mathematician, "a clear and distinct knowledge of the world can be constructed from resources innate to the human mind."(The Blank Slate, n.d.) In other words, an infant's mind is not simply a tablet waiting to receive a blueprint for whatever we want the child to become. Rather, the infant enters the world as a highly complex being with an agenda already mapped out by its genes.
These arguments boil down to one debate that has been going on for centuries. The most common name for this debate is "nature verses nurture." Are our destinies determined by our genetic code, or are we able to design our own outcomes? Many types of...

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What is Descartes' Method of investigation called? How does he use this method to question what his senses tell him? Why does his primary reason for not trusting his senses fail to cast doubt on the truths of arithmetic and geometry? Is there any way, according to Descartes, of raising doubt about even these truths? Are all truths brought into doubt by this method? Does any belief survive?
The first magnificent philosopher of the modern era was the Frenchman Rene’ Descartes. He began his career by trying to set forth the basic principal of new scientific method that was first introduced by Galileo. His work was based on the provisions of foundation for the advancement of human knowledge through natural science. At the same time he wished to show that his new methodical work was consistent with Christianity, and did not provide any threat to it. The philosophical writings for which he is remembered and highly admired are hence, extremely cautious in their treatment of controversial issues.
Descartes’s book of philosophy, called Meditations, granted him the title of father of Epistemology. His principal aim of the book was to provide a foundation for scientific knowledge based on the mind and not on the senses. He also wanted to show how science and religion can be compatible by separating the body and mind. To discover a firm foundation of absolute certainty on which he can build his new system of...

...N.
BSMT 3-2
Rene Descartes
Rene Descartes, also known as the “father of modern philosophy”. Descartes was born in the town of La Haye in the south of France, on March 31, 1596. Rene Descartes spent most of his life in the Dutch Republic. Joachim Descartes his father served in the Parliament of Brittany, France as a Councilor. When he is one year old, his mother Jeanne Brochard Descartes died. His father remarried, while he and his older brother and sister were raised by his grandmother. Descartes was never been married but had a daughter named Francine from his relationship with Helana Jans van der Strom. Francine, daughter of Descartes died in 1640 because of Scarlet Fever. Rene Descartes was a famous French mathematician, philosopher, scientist and a writer. Rene Descartes is credited as the father of analytical geometry. When Descartes was 10 years old he enrolled at Jesuit College of La Fleche in 1606-1614. In 1614, he went to Poitiers and took a law degree two years later. When he was 18 years old he already completed the Le Fleche college and spent years refining noble skills-fencing, dancing and horsemanship. In Netherlands he spend more than one year to study military architecture and mathematics. After graduation in 1616 of December, he studied at University of Poitiers. Descartes has been...

...René Descartes:
The Seeker of Indubitable Truths
Kharen Jade Tolentino
Reason &amp; Feeling in Modern Philosophy GL PHIL 2620
Prof B. Logan
Wednesday, October 23, 12
Throughout history René Descartes has affected lives of philosophers and their ideas. Not only was René Descartes a well known philosopher he was well known for his application of algebra to geometry which led to the Cartesian geometry. In his Meditations on First Philosophy he attempted to provide philosophical evidence for the church and non-believers the existence of God and the idea that the mind is separate from the body (Descartes 2). By doing this Descartes abandoned everything he once deemed as true to create a new foundation of indubitable truths. However, by doing this he creates a problem amongst the community, he stresses that in order to understand these truths we must reject prejudice ideas and withdraw from the senses (Descartes 7). Before attempting to solve the existence of God Descartes talks about the existence of the mind as “Cogito Ergo Sum” and uses a metaphor called the “Wax Argument”. In this essay I will be discussing Descartes most famous works “Cogito Ergo Sum” and the relevance of his “Wax Argument”.
During Descartes course of meditation he explains the existence of the soul as he stated, “I am…precisely nothing but a thinking...